A quest to find the coach who inspired me
The day had finally come. I didn’t know where the tennis courts were among the many pickleball courts at one of The Villages’ recreation centers, but I followed the sidewalk to a gate and peered through an opening.
I knew “Mrs. T” the minute I saw her, and our embrace told me that she knew me, too. Had it really been almost 50 years since we last saw each other?
She led me courtside to meet her tennis friends who by now had ceased play. There were seven of them on this day, and they knew I was coming. They applauded as we approached and began serving up questions faster than I could return the answers. How did I find her?
Why did I go looking for her?
Do I still play tennis?
The short answers:
Through conversations and a lot of Googling.
As my teacher and tennis coach, “Mrs. T” had a profound impact on my direction in life, and I wanted her to know.
Not so much since knee surgery 22 years ago, and I miss it terribly.
Carol Deyle – “Mrs. T” in another life – taught physical education and coached the tennis team at Hayes Junior High School in St. Albans, West Virginia., in the late 1960s and 1970s. Now 79, she has immersed herself in life at The Villages for seven years, playing tennis three times a week, golfing weekly and joining a number of other activities, as well as working a couple of days a week at Eisenhower Recreation Center.
A half-century ago in seventh grade, I tried out for the tennis team. I didn’t have much experience, but she saw something worthwhile in this rookie and encouraged me to practice over the summer.
The next season, and for eight more after that, I competed, progressing from doubles play in eighth grade to No. 1 singles in college and a couple of state championships. Meanwhile, I earned degrees in physical education, planning to teach and coach like Mrs. T, and in journalism, which turned out to be my life’s work. Post-college play included many local tournaments and leagues for a number of years.
When my knees finally said “enough,” I realized just what the game of tennis and the coach who ignited my love for the sport had meant to me. Through tennis, I made forever friends and connections in my professional life. I stayed fit. I acclimated more quickly to Florida when we left my home state.
Over the years, I had thought about “Mrs. T” and wondered how I might find her. Turns out, the search that could have led anywhere ended an hour from my home. My husband and I moved to Orlando 30 years ago, while Carol Deyle has lived on both U.S. coasts and addresses in between. I learned that she and her husband, Howard, arrived here from Texas, and, sadly, he died two years ago.
It was through property records that I found her address. So I wrote her a note asking if she was the teacher I remembered and invited her to contact me. Within a couple of days, she called my cellphone and we chattered away – neither of us believing what had transpired.
We planned to meet, and here we were on July 3 standing on a tennis court at The Villages.
“Mrs. T” was much like I remembered — tan and fit — but now with naturally white hair that she keeps cropped short. She noted that I had grown taller and my hair curlier. And she’s just as easy to talk with now as she was then, when I spent any extra minute during the school day in her P.E. office.
We spent the rest of our reunion day looking back as well as forward, and getting to know each other as grownups. And I got a personal tour via personal golf cart of the sprawling Villages from one of the community’s most enthusiastic and knowledgeable residents.
We also talked about getting together again soon. She wants me to bring my tennis racket.
It’s been a long time, but I’m feeling inspired …
Terri Winefordner is the former viewpoints editor at the Orlando Sentinel.